Sandra‘s Closet

Today it marks the 21st of December, 2012 – apparently judgment day, the date Mayans predicted to be the end of the world. An eternal scare story that leaves only one thing for certain, it won’t be the last apocalyptic prophecy.

Personally speaking, the 21st of December has always been my lucky day, it was my beloved grandmother’s birthday, it is the day my husband and I came together (which might have been already his personal Armageddon, haha).

Nevertheless, if the world goes down today, I will definitely go shopping before and get this outfit: Madame cotton-blend terry sweatshirt by Zoe Karssen, Natalie embroidered twill and satin mini skirt by Peter Pilotto, Bekket leather and suede sneakers by Isabel Marant and Pashli shark-embossed leather trapeze tote by 3.1 Phillip Lim.

LoL, Sandra

I am already having enough of winter, especially now that all those fabulous new season pieces are arriving in store. Time to celebrate Fash Friday and to shop some of the next must-haves. Isn’t that print illegally cute?!

Floral jacquard jacket and matching pencil skirt , both by Stella McCartney,  polka-dot cotton blouse by MiH Jeans, Love Me heart-appliquéd leather and suede pumps by Charlotte Olympia, leather clutch by Marni and Libra 18-karat white gold multistone earrings by Lydia Courteille.

Have a fabulous weekend and stay tuned for the photos of last night coming up soon…

LoL, Sandra

Happy Halloween to you! Inspired by the colour theme of orange and black, I put these pieces together to make you look drop-dead fabulous all year around.

Vallonia silk print dress by Jason Wu

Metallic leather tote by Burberry Prorsum

Skull cluster ring by Samira 13

Special Edition Halloween ballet flats by Repetto
Available for 215 € exclusively at the new Repetto shop at Berlin’s KaDeWe Loft.

Have a lovely Halloween!

LoL, Sandra

To fight your upcoming winter blues, I recommend COLOUR! It is a great way to lighten up foggy days and grey skies. Here is a perfect outfit for you:

Vintage Whisper cotton slub-jersey top by Splendid, flared faille mini skirt by Miu Miu, leather and watersnake platform pumps by Nicholas Kirkwood, Saya printed silk-twill square scarf and Cayla embellished patent-leather clutch, both by Jimmy Choo in collaboration with Rob Pruitt.

Jimmy Choo has joined forces with contemporary artist Rob Pruitt for a fabulous, limited-edition range of handbags and shoes. Pruitt gained art-world attention in the late Eighties for his colourful, pop art-influenced work. Think panda-print flats, rainbow-hued pumps and crystal-adorned clutches. If you like the clutch and the scarf above, you might be also interested in those goodies below:

Angel Swarovski crystal panda minaudière and Devil Swarovski crystal panda minaudière

Anouk lace-covered leather pumps

Nixon printed patent-leather luggage tag

Wheel Loe angel and devil embroidered leopard-print calf hair loafers

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Jimmy Choo

This month, House of Valentino launches its new fragrance Valentina ASSOLUTO created by the master perfumer Olivier Cresp.
The blend of noble ingredients creates a magical formula that comes to life on the skin and transforms it into an unmistakable and necessary final touch: a designer fragrance.

Valentina Assoluto is the first flanker on the theme of Valentina perfume from 2011. It deviates from the floral scent family of the original and offers instead an intense olfactory chypre character, “deeper and more sensual”.

Top notes: Bergamot, peach and white Alba truffle.
Middle notes: Tuberose, jasmine and vanilla.
Base notes: Cedar, oak moss and patchouli for the chypre effect.

Available as Eau de Parfum ASSOLUTO 80ml (CHF154.-) and 50ml (CHF 121.-)
Available in Switzerland end of September 2012.

Intriguing, magnetic, and unpredictable, Valentina plays with seduction as the protagonist of a story full of exciting, quintessential sensations. A mosaic of architectural views, stylistic touches, and period ornamentation. Sensual glimpses of skin and lace, body and couture.

Valentina has a favourite stage. It is Rome at night, full of secret passages for escape and the exclusive private world of brightly lit ancient aristocratic palazzos. This Eternal City full of artistic treasures has also given birth to her innate sophisticated elegance.

What would a modern Valentina wear for a night out during a weekend in Rome?

Lace and cable-knit wool and cashmere-blend sweater, cotton-blend lace skirt, jewel-clasp watersnake clutch, satin and lace pumps, all by Valentino and of course her signature fragrance Valentina ASSOLUTO.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Valentino

The Yves Saint Laurent woman moves through Paris as if it were an urban jungle. Dressed in a tuxedo jacket, leopard-print silk crepe de chine top and stretch-leather leggings, she strides at a determined, steady pace along the streets of Saint-Germain-des-Près, clutching her Cabas Chyc alligator-effect bag close to her, like a talisman. The totally liberated, enticing YSL woman is radiant in her stiletto pumps. She releases a disarming tension created by playing on contrasts to more effectively reveal herself.

Yves Saint Laurent’s fall makeup look “CONTEMPORARY AMAZON” created by Lloyd Simmonds, Creative Director Make-up Yves Saint Laurent, has the same power. It “expresses a desire to get back to the basics, a desire for a luminous matteness that is both natural and sophisticated, with effects that can be tailored to a personalized look. Khaki, black, gold, red, the classics of the contemporary Rive Gauche woman who has a daring approach to colour and a free spirit combined with true Parisian chic.”

STAR PRODUCT

Palette Couture – An alternative to blush, another way to sculpt the cheekbones.
CHF 89.-

Pure Chromatics
CHF 79.-

Harmony N°10 and Harmony N°11

Mascara Volume Effet Faux
CHF 49.-

N°19 Graphite Green

Rouge Pure Couture – The Mats
CHF 48.- each

N°201 Orange Imagine, N°202 Rose Crazy, N°203 Rouge Rock, N°204 Rouge Scandal, N°205 Prune Virgin and N°206 Grenat Satisfaction

La Lacque Couture
CHF 36.- each

N°31 Khaki Arty (on my nails below) and N°32 Rouge Expressioniste

Dare to Glow – A silky complexion illuminator, between a highlighter and an enhancer.
(Limited edition)
CHF 34.- each

N°1 Tempting Gold, N°2 Fatal Red and N°3 Naughty Pink

And don’t miss the following product:

Le Teint Touche Éclat
CHF 67.-

One word: Amazing! Classical foundation formulas contain varying amounts of opaque powders that result in a diffused reflection – a “masked” effect that leaves skin looking grey and dull, especially on darker complexions. Now, for the very first time with LE TEINT TOUCHE ÉCLAT, Yves Saint Laurent resolves this dilemma by replacing the powder with a soft focus gel. Through a diffusing and translucent texture on the skin’s surface, this unique soft focus gel smoothes away imperfections without ever masking the skin, ensuring skin colour purity for a natural-looking and sophisticated glow.

Available in 22 shades, organized in colour families, from beiges to golden and rosy hues, from the lightest to the darkest tones, corresponding to the 7000 skin tones identified in the world.

In stores now!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent and © Sandra Bauknecht

The story of La Petite Robe Noire began in 2009, when the house of Guerlain launched an exclusive and limited edition fragrance which was only available to a very selective clientele, followed by La Petite Robe Noire 2 last year.

This fall, Guerlain will offer this very chic scent to broad market. Fresher, more radiant and passionate, in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser has modified his big love, La Petite Robe Noire slightly. Personally speaking, I have been a huge fan from the very first beginning. Inspired by the eternity and sophistication of a little black dress, it exudes the essence of Parisian elegance.

Left: The first La Petite Robe Noire. Right: The new one.

The ‘heart-shaped’ bottles of the La Petite Robe Noir collection are inspired by the legendary vials of the house, such as L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko. The dress illustration has been altered every time so that each of the three fragrances shows a different shape of this clothing. The animated ad campaign was created by French artists Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Deygas.

Top notes: Red berries, black cherries, almond and bergamot
Middle notes: Licorice, Bulgarian and Turkish roses and smoked black tea
Base notes: Anise and the famous Guerlinade (A mix of the Guerlain’s beloved ingredients: Tonka bean, vanilla, iris and patchouli)

The new La Petite Robe Noire is available as 30 ml (CHF 90.-), 50 ml (CHF 129.-) and 75 ml (CHF 179.-) Eau de Parfum
Shower Gel 200ml (CHF 66.-) and Body  Lotion 200ml (CHF 77.-)
Available in Switzerland from August 27, 2012.

An absolutely captivating and utterly irresistible perfumed creation by Guerlain. Like the cut of an iconic little black dress, this fragrance is shaped with all of the French house’s finesse.

I am convinced that we will hear much more of La Petite Robe Noire in the future. This uber-cute illustration translates so well into all aspects of Guerlain; from makeup to body products, to conceivable further versions such as cosmetic cases and more. The possibilities are endless…

This would be the perfect look for your new scent, elegant and sophisticated, stylish and playful.

Diana brocade little black dress by Roland Mouret, ruffle-trimmed suede pumps by Nicholas Kirkwood, croc-effect leather clutch by Alexander Wang and resin and crystal necklace by Marni.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Illustrations: Courtesy of Guerlain

American actress Jessica Biel definitely belongs to the Giambattista Valli fan club. Accessorising the refined animal print with simple black accessories for a television appearance in NYC during her “Total Recall” press tour, I think Miss Biel looked extremely elegant.

Get Jessica’s look:
Animal-print silk-charmeuse dress from Giambattista Valli‘s Pre-fall 2012 collection, 2Jours textured leather tote by Fendi and Blade pumps in black patent leather by Casadei.

LoL, Sandra

To all my Swiss readers: HAPPY SWISS NATIONAL DAY!
For all others who are not familiar with this special celebration, here is some information: Swiss National Day is celebrated with fireworks and a public holiday. August 1st is to the Swiss what July 4th is to Americans, or July 14th to the French. This day was chosen because August 1st 1291 was the date on which three Alpine cantons swore the oath of confederation, an act which later came to be regarded as the foundation of Switzerland.

The Alpine country is well-known in the world for its chocolate (My favourite: Lindt), their watches (IWC, Roger Dubuis, Swatch, just to name a few) and the famous Swiss army knives (Victorinox).

The colours of the Swiss flag, red and white, have inspired me today to this cute outfit:
Floral-print cotton mini dress by Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, heart-intarsia cashmere sweater by Banjo & Matilda, red wrap watch by Swatch, Big Kiss leather lips clutch and Paloma fan-pleat satin pumps, both by Charlotte Olympia.

Enjoy your day!

LoL, Sandra

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I came back from my amazing road trip through the US this week and left immediately to Munich for a day with Bobbi Brown. Stay tuned, I will tell you all about it very soon.

During the last 5 weeks, I went through 9 states – Illinois, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, California, Hawaii and Texas – and besides the horrible hail storm in South Dakota, I was blessed the whole time with beautiful sunny weather. So I was quite shocked when I got back to Switzerland where there was no sign of summer at all. Surprisingly, I found severe hail damage in my garden, my pool cover looked like shot with a pump gun. What a subtle irony! And when I experienced a mini tornado yesterday at Lake Zurich, I was inspired to this outfit.

Mini Tornado in Zurich on July 21, 2012 (Photo via Tagesanzeiger)

Invest in some great fall key pieces. Bottle green is one of the hottest colours for the season. Peplum hems appeared on many runways and are one of the most flattering trends. A trench coat is a true classic piece that works for so many occasions and definitely belongs in your closet – with Burberry you cannot go wrong. Finally, add a piece of colourful statement jewelry.

Mid-length cotton-gabardine trench coat by Burberry London, fine-knit wool peplum top, bottle-green De Manta leather tote, skull-print modal and cashmere-blend scarf, skull-embellished umbrella, all by Alexander McQueen, stretch-leather skinny pants by Yves Saint Laurent, multi-stone cuff by Emilio Pucci and ‘Original Tall’ Wellington boots by Hunter.

Nars Fall 2012 collection offers for your eyes and nails some icy shades with stormy names:

Vent Glacé (Glacial Wind) Duo Eyeshadow, CHF 59.-

Storm Bird Nail Polish (Limited Edition), CHF 32.-
Both available from August 2012.

Good news: The weather forecast says that the arrival of summer is close in Zurich. Let’s hope that the weather gods will be merciful.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Nars